‘Candidate Survivor’: Now will you pay attention?

“Candidate Survivor” is Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Showbox at the Market.

Before you vote at the ballot box, you can vote them off the island.

On Tuesday, all 15 city council candidates and one city attorney candidate will face off at the Showbox for “Candidate Survivor,” a two-hour forum focused on city issues relating to young people. They’ll field questions from three panelists on everything from transportation and public safety to public housing and economic development.

But this is not a typical election debate.

Audience members get to choose which candidates they like and which ones they don’t by voting them off the island through three rounds of text message battles.

“Not only is the audience in control, not only are you getting a human picture of the candidates, but you’re changing the whole dynamic of political engagement,” said Toby Crittenden, the night’s emcee and communications director for the Washington Bus, a local organization trying to strengthen young people’s involvement in politics.

This forum will go beyond the issues by focusing on the candidates’ personal experiences, and even their nonpolitical skills.

There will be a “talent show” segment, in which candidates will be given two minutes to show off. Expect to see anything from singing to swiftly shooting 15 basketballs into a hoop.

But does it take an all-out candidate talent show to bring people to a city council election discussion?

Primary day is Aug. 18, and turnout is expected to be much lower than it was last year during the publicized presidential election.

Organizers of “Candidate Survivor” think this event will draw some attention. They say that as long as it makes people turn their head toward the race, it’s working.

“We’ve had people e-mail me and get on the guest list who say they don’t know city politics but it sounds like fun,” Crittenden said.

If you’re interested in showing up, it’s free and all-ages (even people under 18 are allowed to vote), and you can RSVP on their Web site. It’s Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m at the Showbox at the Market.

The event is sponsored by The Washington Bus, The Stranger and The Recording Academy.